Seen on the Farm

This one isn't actually on OUR farm. I love this sunflower crop that is Across the Road.

I took the rest of these photos here.

Monarch caterpillar on narrow-leaf milkweed.

Alfalfa butterfly. The caterpillars are considered pests in fields of alfalfa. They also consume other legumes (like clover and trefoil in my pasture).

I still don't know what this one is. Previously I tentatively identified one in a better photo as a forage looper moth. Maybe? Do you know how hard it is to chase a butterfly/moth that doesn't want to be photographed?

California Red Dragonfly. While we're looking at insects here are nasty ones that supposedly the dragonflies eat.

We were doing pretty well keeping the pasture mosquitoes at bay.  I guess it was the last irrigation followed by a heat wave that brought them on to this degree. This morning in the pasture I was covered head to foot--overalls and a hooded sweatshirt with the hood tied around my face. I could still hear them buzzing.

While on the subject of nasty buzzing things in the barn last year's paper wasp nests are active again. I guess I need to find the wasp spray.

Same subject. Different pest. This is another black widow on the hay. You have to be careful pulling bales of hay away from the wall or off the floor.

Also in the barn but no stings or bites (except maybe when the parents dive-bomb the dogs). This is another nest of Brewer's blackbirds. This photo was taken a couple of weeks ago...

...and this one a little later. These birds have left the nest now.

Sheep going to pasture in the morning.

These are some of the new sheep. That's Bronagh who seems to take the lead. They are out with the rest of the flock now and are as anxious to come to the fence for grain when I rattle the bucket as the other sheep.

Glimpses of the Farm

Slowly by surely I am trying to get organized with Lightroom, my new photo software. Does learning new software count up there as a stressor along with changing jobs, spouses, or health issues? Here are some random photos taken over the last month while doing chores.

Our new signpost on the way to the barn, in case visitors are unsure of where they are. Not really. It is on the way to the barn but was constructed by my husband for the memorial service we had here for his dad. Our birthplaces are at the top, followed by parents', siblings', and our kids' birthplaces or current locations.

Speaking of the barn I call this Dog Toy on the Roof.

Wood from a tree my son took down for us.

Brewer's Blackbird feasting on mulberries.

I think I got this ID right--Western Kingbird.

This is Hot Lips making an announcement.

Ginny hoping to be called into service.

Did I mention when I got the tractor stuck? This is a dry field, or it's supposed to be. There must be a leak in a pipe and this corner is sopping weight. I was mowing foxtails and made a tight turn to do a thorough mowing job as far into the corner as I could.

Do you see that the mower on the back of the tractor is right up at the fence on one side and the bucket is resting on a fencepost. There is no way to maneuver this thing out.

Dan spent about an hour jacking and digging...

...and jacking and digging, each time trying to wedge another board under. Every time he'd remove the jack to wedge in another board the weight of the tractor rested on  the fence post which creaked ominously.  The boards that the jack was on kept squishing down in the mud, but eventually he got the wheel up to almost ground level. Still, there was no way to drive the tractor out without some help.

My 2-wheel drive pick-up was called into service and Dan chained it to the tractor. When he put the tractor in gear the truck gave just enough assistance, pulling sideways, so that the tractor wheel got out of the hole and onto dry ground.

Another Season

I talk repeatedly about seasons. Lambing Season. Breeding Season. Spring, etc. There is another. Baby Bird Season just ended.This is one of several Brewer's Blackbirds' nests in the barn. This one is on a convenient shelf just over my  lambing calendar. I've read that Brewer's blackbirds eat seeds, grains, and insects.However, our blackbirds do quite well on the mulberry tree that overhangs the ram pen and is loaded with mulberries right now. This bird hatched on April 30. Anytime we walk in the barn, the parents harass us relentlessly.This photo was taken two days later on May 2.May 6.May 8. They grow quickly.This is May 9. The first baby is 9 days old.May 12. Out of the nest. There is a day or two when I find babies out of the nest. The parents are frantic. Maggie needs to be restrained because she is truly a varmint dog. She things that anything small and alive is fair game for her. Now the birds are out of the barn. I don't know if there will be a second crop. Last year I felt as though Baby Bird Season lasted a lot longer.

Another Morning & More Sheep Photos

This morning I was going to take three sheep to be shorn at a friend's house. These three were born at the State Fair in July last year and I didn't want to shear them at our early February shearing. So I went out to take photos of the ram so that I'd have photos in full fleece for registration paperwork. Then I got carried away with other sheep portraits.This is the 9 month old ram. He needs a name.This is Meridian Nash. These rams have the same sire so I don't need both. I think this one will be for sale.Puddleduck Ringo is also for sale. I have used him for two seasons and he needs to move on.Meridian Rotor. Isn't this a beautiful stylish ewe lamb? She was born a month before everyone else because the ram lambs weren't weaned soon enough. Too bad I don't know her sire. Her very cute baby pictures with her brother are in this post.Lamb in early morning light. Meridian Vanessa x Meridian Rotor.BFL-cross lamb. Love those BFL faces.I'm keeping this lilac lamb. Mud Ranch's Foxglove x Meridian Nash.Not sheep, but the sunflowers Across the Road.  

Random Thoughts in Photos

Seen while driving in town the other day...I liked the patterns of the wood. I especially noticed the part that doesn't show up very well here but the bottom right where the heartwood (I think) makes the half circles. Weaving ideas.Also while driving. I was on Pedrick Road east of Dixon. I really wanted a photo of the snow-covered Sierras. It's been awhile since we've had that view. The lens on the phone makes the mountains too far away for that shot, but I like seeing the train.In this shot too.I may have shown this photo before, but I like this sunset view. It makes the mud and swampy "lake" worthwhile.And speaking of lots of water, this was a result of the last storm that came through. This is a very old fig tree that the kids used to play in a long time ago. Note the steps and the treehouse platform. The roots of this tree have been rotten for some time and the dogs often found something to bark at in the hole in the trunk. I'll bet you didn't know that we had giraffes in Solano County. These two are about a mile from here where I take Ginny to herding lessons.And while we're talking about herding, this is Ginny working "her flock" at home.